Professional Track Faculty
Megan Philipp | Artistic Director of State Street Ballet
Megan Philipp joined the staff of State Street Ballet in 2013 and was promoted to Artistic Director on September 1, 2023. During her tenure with the company, she created, launched, and directed the Professional Track Program. She became a company rehearsal director in 2018 and co-director of our annual Summer Intensive.
In addition, she has been invited to choreograph for a variety of productions, including The Nutcracker, Jungle Book, and Sleeping Beauty. Prior to coming to State Street Ballet, Megan spent four years at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. She was a faculty member and then promoted to Faculty and Curriculum Coordinator. She worked closely with the directors to create a curriculum for the newly opened Academy, taught for all levels of the school and trainee program, and ran their Los Angeles Summer Intensive.
Mrs. Philipp has her Master’s in Dance Education from New York University, where she studied classical ballet pedagogy at American Ballet Theater and worked in administration for the organization. She spent eight years in New York City as a performing artist, teacher, and choreographer before completing her master's and moving to Chicago. She also has a BA in Dance Pedagogy from Butler University and is certified in the Simonson Jazz Technique.
Meredith Ventura | Director of Education
Meredith Ventura is a multi-creative artist based out of southern California. She graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a B.F.A. in Dance, received her M.F.A. in dance at Hollins University in collaboration with the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, and The Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company (formerly the Forsythe Company). She is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies. She has performed as a professional modern dancer throughout California, New York, and abroad in Europe and the Philippines. Meredith has been performing with professional contemporary dance companies since 2013, including work with Janusphere Dance Company and Nebula Dance Lab.
As a choreographer and dance educator, Ms. Ventura has produced full evening-length performances and presented works throughout the United States and abroad, most recently in New York City at Gibney’s Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center in spring 2024. She is the Director of Dance for Lights Up! Theatre Conservatory: credits include choreography for Something Rotten!, The Drowsy Chaperone, Anything Goes, Footloose, and Little Shop of Horrors. She joined the faculty of State Street Ballet in 2021. She was promoted to the Director of Education and the Professional Track in 2023, where she developed the new Choreography and Dance Education certificate programs. During her time with State Street Ballet, she has had the opportunity to collaborate with the New West Symphony and Opera Santa Barbara. Ms. Ventura is currently on faculty at dance studios throughout Southern California and travels nationally and internationally as a dance educator and advocate for the arts.
Nilas Martins | Artistic Associate of State Street Ballet
Born in Copenhagen, Nilas Martins received early dance training at the Royal Danish Ballet School. As a student, he performed with the Royal Danish Ballet in works such as John Neumeier’s Romeo and Juliet, August Bournonville’s Konservatoriet, A Folk Tale, Napoli, and Glen Tetley’s Firebird. In 1984, Nilas moved to New York and enrolled at the School of American Ballet. He joined the New York City Ballet in September 1986, was promoted to soloist in 1991, and became a Principal dancer in 1993.
At the New York City Ballet, Mr. Martins danced numerous featured roles. They worked closely with choreographers such as John Alleyne, Lynn Taylor Corbett, Boris Eifman, William Forsythe, Peter Martins, Trey McIntyre, Kevin O’Day, Jerome Robbins, Susan Stroman, and Richard Tanner. His film credits include Live from Lincoln Center broadcasts of Ray Charles in Concert, The Nutcracker (1993, Warner Brothers), and the Dance in America telecast of Dinner with Balanchine, where he danced the role of Apollo with Paris Opera Etoile Isabel Guerin. He also performed in Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100, dancing 'The Man I Love' from Who Cares?, featuring Wynton Marsalis.
From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Martins was one of ten fellows selected to study under Michael Kaiser at the DeVos Institute for Arts Management. His teaching experience includes positions at Armitage Gone Dance, BalletMet, Baltimore School for the Arts, Goucher College, Harvard University, Indiana University, Joffrey Ballet School, Miami City Ballet School, National Ballet of China, NBA Ballet (Japan), New York City Ballet, Novosibirsk Ballet (Russia), NYSSA Summer Intensive, Princeton University, Royal Danish Ballet, School of American Ballet, and Washington Ballet.
Since 1996, Mr. Martins has been a Repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust, staging ballets for companies and schools domestically and internationally. He joined the faculty of State Street Ballet in 2018 and became Artistic Associate in 2024.
Marina Fliagina | Rehearsal Director for State Street Ballet
Marina Fliagina was born in Russia and graduated with distinction from Perm State College of Choreography in Russia. In 1990, she was admitted to the Moscow State Theatre Kremlin Ballet, where she worked with the renowned Vladimir Vasiliev and Ekaterina Maximova. She has performed roles in all of the famous classical ballets and has toured internationally with the Russian Imperial Ballet, Moscow Classical Ballet, and the Moscow Festival Ballet.
Fliagina joined State Street Ballet as a dancer in 1998 and was promoted to Rehearsal Director in 2000. In addition to her duties as Rehearsal Director, she continues to appear in character roles such as the Stepmother in Cinderella and the Nurse Maid in Romeo and Juliet.
Tigran Sargysan | Rehearsal Director for State Street Ballet
Tigran Sargsyan began his dance studies at the Yerevan Choreographic Dance College in Armenia. In 2011, Tigran was offered a scholarship under The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation to continue his education at the Dance Academy of Zurich in Switzerland, where he was trained and coached by Oliver Matz. In 2013, Tigran competed at the international ballet competition Prix de Lausanne and was awarded a full scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet School Summer Program.
In 2014, Tigran joined Dortmund Ballet Theater in Germany, where he danced for two seasons. He then joined the Los Angeles Ballet as a Principal Dancer in 2016, dancing lead roles such as the Prince in The Nutcracker, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Prince Desire in Sleeping Beauty, the Principal Man in George Balanchine’s Who Cares and Apollo, and many more. During his professional career, Tigran has worked with choreographers such as William Forsythe, Alexander Ekman, Jiri Kylian, Christian Spuck, Jiri Bubenicek, Alejandro Cerrudo, Azure Barton, Patricia Neary, Colleen Neary, and Thordal Christensen. In addition to his work as a Rehearsal Director at State Street Ballet, Tigran is also the resident choreographer and a principal guest artist with Hollywood Ballet. He is on the faculty at Westside Ballet and Degas Dance Studio and coaches at a variety of studios in Southern California.
Mei-Ling Murray
Mei-Ling is a classically trained ballet and contemporary dancer. She grew up in Hawai’i and California where she received her early ballet training from Lareen Fender in Walnut Creek, CA. She continued her training with American Ballet Theatre, The Ailey School, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, before graduating with a BFA from the University of Arizona School of Dance. Her professional career began in San Francisco, where she spent eight years as a freelance performing artist, followed by four seasons as a soloist with New Orleans Ballet Theatre. She has danced works by George Balanchine, Jiri Kylian, Ohad Naharin, James Clouser, Robert Moses, Alex Ketley, and Maurice Causey. Her commercial credits include dancing with Arcade Fire’s Kanaval, TEDxSan Francisco, and television appearances on Disney, FOX, and the CW. Throughout her performing career Mei-Ling has always had a passion for dance education and outreach serving diverse communities around the world. As the Program Director for Movement Exchange, she developed international dance exchange programs with the U.S. Embassies in Panama and India. As a teaching artist for Performing Arts Workshop in San Francisco and Youth Empowerment Project in New Orleans, she provided dance education to underserved youth. Mei-Ling’s latest chapter focuses on serving the dancers of Santa Barbara. She most recently was a guest lecturer at UC Santa Barbara, teaching ballet for the dance department, and joined the State Street Ballet team in 2023. She is thrilled to mentor, encourage, and propel the dancers of SSB Pro Track.
Michele Hulse Pearson
Michele Hulse Pearson trained in Los Angeles with Elisabeth Baird, Margaret Graham Hills, and Stanley Holden. Michele also trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet and was given a full scholarship under the direction of Melissa Hayden. Michele later performed as a soloist with Tulsa Ballet, Colorado Ballet, and Santa Barbara Ballet Theatre. She has performed in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Coppelia, Gaîté Parisienne, and many other classical and contemporary works, including Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco staged by Victoria Simon. She has also worked with Arthur Mitchell, Frederick Franklin, Roman Jasinski, and numerous other choreographers. From 1991 to 2006, Michele was Principal Owner of the Santa Barbara Ballet Center and Co-Artistic Director of the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet. Michele received a Teaching Certificate from The Royal Academy of Dance in 1994, and in 2009 was appointed to the Panel of Examiners for The Royal Academy of Dance. She travels each year worldwide on behalf of the RAD and has conducted Examinations in England, Spain, Brazil, Hong Kong, Thailand, Canada, and throughout the United States of America. In addition to Examining, Michele is now freelance and guest teaching. She resides in Santa Barbara, California.
Anna Carnes Gilbert
Anna moved to Santa Barbara in 2012 to join State Street Ballet, where she was a company dancer for eight years. She performed principal roles such as Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, and lead roles in contemporary works such as Conversion and Common Ground. Anna toured with the company across the US, China, and Chile as well as earned a SB Indy Award for her performance in Ballroom. Over the years she has assisted in rehearsal direction, educational outreach, and fundraising for the company and has been an instructor and choreographer for SSB’s Professional Track program since 2016. Anna holds a BFA in Dance Performance and minor in Education from UC Irvine. In 2020 she revisited UCI to earn a Certificate in Arts Management. Her early training included the completion of the Royal Academy of Dance examinations while studying with Santa Clarita Ballet. She also spent summers with ABT, Pittsburgh Ballet, and LINES ballet. Prior to State Street Ballet, she danced professionally with Oakland Ballet Company and Menlowe Ballet while freelancing in San Francisco. Other performing credits include the Ellen Show, MTV Video Music Awards, the Hollywood Bowl, and she was featured on the cover of Rose Eichenbaum’s Inside the Dancer’s Art.
Nicole Powell
Nicole Powell born and raised in Carpinteria, CA is a dancer, choreographer, and studio owner/director. She graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in Dance and a BA in philosophy from SMU (2013). She also holds a high school diploma from Idyllwild Arts Academy with a dance performance major, where she received Senior Class Scholar and the Bella Lewitzky Dance Award. She experienced additional training at San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Martha Graham School, NW Dance Project, and Rubberband Dance. Since graduation, Nicole has danced professionally and taught all over the world. She has been dancing with Santa Barbara Dance Theatre for 7 seasons along with a flourishing freelance career. In 2024 she guest performed with the Limon Dance Company and was commissioned for a new work for State Street Ballet and Santa Barbara Dance Theater. In 2024 she also participated in the Limon Teacher Training and was certified in the ABT National Training Curriculum for levels pre-primary through level 3. Nicole is excited to continue her performance and choreographic career as well as building and directing her school CSD School of Performing Arts in Carpinteria.
Noam Tsivkin | Company Artist with State Street Ballet
Noam Tsivkin, from New York City, received his dance training from Merle Sepel and his mother, Rebecca Tsivkin. He continued his training at the School of American Ballet where he performed with New York City Ballet in productions of The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. He received further training from the Alvin Ailey School, French Academie of Ballet, and State Street Ballet’s Professional Track program before joining State Street Ballet in 2016.
Harold Mendez | Company Artist with State Street Ballet
Harold Mendez was born in Havana, Cuba, where his passion for ballet was sparked at a young age. He began his formal training at Cuba’s National Ballet School, known for producing world-class dancers, and continued to refine his craft at the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School and San Francisco Ballet School. Over the years, Harold has had the opportunity to perform in many of the most celebrated classical ballets, building a deep connection with the art form.
His dedication and talent have been recognized through numerous international competitions. Harold earned a Bronze Medal at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), a Gold Medal at the World Ballet Competition, and a Bronze Medal at the USA International Ballet Competition (IBC). Most notably, he competed at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne, a global platform for the most promising ballet dancers.
In 2021, at just 19 years of age, Harold joined State Street Ballet, marking a significant milestone in his career. Now, he continues to push his artistic boundaries, bringing both passion and precision to the stage with every performance. Harold's journey reflects not only his technical skill but his unwavering love for ballet—a love that drives him to continuously evolve as an artist.
Arianna Hartanov | Company Artist with State Street Ballet
Born in Denver, Colorado, Arianna trained in ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, tap, and musical theater before moving to Santa Barbara in 2016 to dance professionally with State Street Ballet. She has performed various soloist and principal roles in The Nutcracker, Giselle, The Jungle Book, and The Sleeping Beauty among others. She has also had the pleasure of working with choreographers like Nilas Martins, Edgar Zendejas, Meredith Ventura, and Kassandra Taylor Newberry in their creative processes during her career, and recently produced her first show in 2022 in collaboration with Selah Dance Collective. Arianna became a certified Countertechnique instructor in 2023, and is so excited to work with the trainee program.
Explore the Company’s History
Learn more about our 30-year journey of bringing professional dance to the Santa Barbara community and beyond!
Training
Learn more about our Professional Track Training Program, an innovative program for dancers age 17-23.
Performance Calendar
View our master calendar to see our full schedule of performances, training, and community events.